Meanings
plural ceres · alternative sere
- biologyA fleshy, waxy area at the base of the upper beak in certain birds.
The cere is the fleshy spot just above the beak where the nostrils, or nares, are located. In some species, like the parakeet, the cere is prominent; in others, the cere is covered by feathers. Both the cere and the nares should be clean[…]
[2021, Nikki Moustaki, Parrots For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 182
present singular third person ceres · participle present cering · participle past cered · past cered
- transitiveTo wax; to cover or close with wax.
a strong twisted Thread cered
1676, Richard Wiseman, Severall Chirurgicall Treatises, London: […] E. Flesher and J. Macock, for R[ichard] Royston […], and B[enjamin] Took, […], →OCLC
Origin
- Latincēra“wax, cere”
- Old Frenchcire
- Middle Englishsere
- Englishcere
From Middle English sere, from Old French cire, from Latin cēra (“wax, cere”), or via Latin cērō (“to smear or coat with wax”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech ozobí
- ozobícere
Finnish vahanokka
- vahanokkacere
Japanese 蝋膜
- 蝋膜 (rōmaku)cere
Polish woskówka
- woskówkacere
Scottish Gaelic cèir
- cèircere
Welsh cwyrbilen
- cwyrbilencere
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cere
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
cere. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cere
“cere.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cere. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cere,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cere.
Source: cere on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.